


Penance

by UberDuper



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Assassin Kirumi AU, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, im sorry i write so much angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 06:40:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14014410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UberDuper/pseuds/UberDuper
Summary: Cleaning was her favorite act of repentance. It was mindless and easy, and yet deeply distracting.Prompt: "How about the two of them being assassins together? Kirumi does long-term missions and Maki does quick killings."





	Penance

**Author's Note:**

> Another request from Tumblr, for another Anon! I know this isn't exactly playing to the prompt, but I hope it's enjoyed anyway! I know I had fun with it.

In her down time, Kirumi had taken to caretaking. In a strange way, it felt like... penance. Yes, that was a good word for it. Penance. Penance for the things she had done, for the lives she had taken. For each drop of blood spilled, Kirumi would clean a room of the orphanage. For each windpipe she crushed, she would make a meal. For each life she took, she would soothe a sobbing child to sleep. What she did, she did for the orphanage that had taken care of her as a child, but that didn't mean she didn't need to make up for it in other ways.

Cleaning was her favorite act of repentance. It was mindless and easy, and yet deeply distracting. To make sure something was spotless, it had to be deliberately gone over once, twice, three times. It had to be inspected and analyzed and have an appropriate amount of effort put into it. Not too little, not too much. That's how she approached her _real_ profession too, the one that didn't involve acting as a caretaker at a rundown and underfunded orphanage at the end of the road. Proper application of force at the right moments, in the right places. Sometimes it was a hammer to a nail, driven into the leg of a bed to stabilize it so its resident would not be disturbed during the night. Other times, it was a swift blow to the temple with a ball peen hammer, driven hard enough to kill in one hit so that nobody would be bothered by a certain individual any more.

Her specialties were integration and cover-up. Kirumi was to become hired 'legally' under a false alias that would be provided to her, pose as a given role for an extended amount of time, and integrate herself into the group in which she was infiltrating before applying her force. Her usual time frame was anywhere between a week and a couple years. Her targets varied in amount; sometimes she had a single target, sometimes it was several dozen. She was to act in her role, gather information, isolate her target, and divert any attention away from herself once the deed was done.

Sometimes, she was a maid, serving the head of a household, and ended up 'discovering' her master clutching his throat after he consumed some poisons he should not have. Sometimes she was a secretary, assisting the leader of a company or firm with their finances until she was laid off when the higher ups were quietly silenced in their sleep. Sometimes, she was even a journalist attending an extended political conference, who narrowly avoided an 'accidental' death when the room she, the political leaders, and the other reporters were in collapsed due to 'improper repairs'...

Right now, however, Kirumi Tojo was one of the workers at a little underfunded orphanage at the end of the road, closing the door to the room of the fussy ten year old who she helped finally conquer their restlessness for the night. She let out a sigh, putting her hand to her chest, and glanced up at a nearby clock. 2:19 AM. Far too late for any more cleaning. Well, there was always tomorrow. Still, a simple cup of tea would not be a bad thing at the moment. The kitchen was far enough away from the children's rooms that it would not be a problem.

It was 2:27 when the door to the kitchen swung open. Kirumi didn't bother to look up from the kettle on the stove, which was almost about to start whistling. Those heavy footsteps were familiar. Granted, she hadn't heard them in a long time, but it was not a sound that was unknown to her. Just as the kettle let out a screech, a pair of arms slung themselves around Kirumi's middle. A face pressed into the space between her shoulder blades and exhaled. A front pressed against her back.

“I'm trying to make tea.” Kirumi murmured, moving the kettle onto an unlit burner and switching off the one she was using.

“You didn't tell me you were back.” The person behind her said, moving their arms to instead coil around Kirumi's waist.

“You weren't here when I arrived.” Kirumi replied simply, keeping her voice low. “Would you like a cup?”

“Yeah.” The person said.

Kirumi reached down, prying the hands from her waist and moving to grab another cup and another teabag. The person shuffled over to the small table in the kitchen, one that was far too small for all of the children in the orphanage. There was a quiet 'thunk' as something was dropped onto the table, and then another as something hit the floor. A few moments later, two steaming cups of tea had been poured, and Kirumi brought them over to the table where one Maki Harukawa was sitting.

Maki had definitely seen better days. There was a gash down her cheek, one that was shallow but at a location convenient enough to cause a lot of blood flow. There were dried crimson stains on her front, and Kirumi noticed it was in her hair too. A pistol laid on the table, but Kirumi noted that the clip was gone. At Maki's feet was a small black bag. Kirumi gently placed the teacups down, then stepped away. She stooped down in front of the sink, opening up the cabinet there to grab one of the dishtowels there. Kirumi returned to the table with the dishrag, soaked in cold water and wrung out, and scooted a chair next to Maki. The towel went straight to her face, cleaning up the gash and then applying pressure.

“Thanks...” Maki muttered, absentmindedly plucking the teabag from her cup. She took a sip and, having determined the tea was to her liking, dropped the teabag onto the already warped and stained table.

“You'll ruin the table.” Kirumi commented.

“The little shits ruined this table a long time ago.” Maki replied, taking another sip of her tea. “We helped.” She reminded Kirumi.

“Hush.” Kirumi said, removing the towel for a moment. The gash let loose another small bout of blood, which Kirumi wiped up before pressing the towel back to Maki's cheek. “Don't call them that. We do this for them, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” Maki said back, looking down at the swirling stain patterns on the table. “Doesn't mean I don't like them. Doesn't mean they aren't little shits either.” At that, Kirumi just sighed, continuing to apply pressure. She tended to Maki for another minute before Maki grunted and put her cup down, taking the towel from Kirumi and snorting. “Drink your damn tea.”

Kirumi did just that, removing her teabag and placing it atop Maki's. She took a little sip and frowned. She'd left the teabag in too long, it was a bit more bitter than she enjoyed. Still... it wasn't wise to waste any of the orphanage's provisions, so she resolved to finish it anyway. A silence settled over the room as Kirumi nursed her tea and Maki nursed her cheek. A minute later, Kirumi set her teacup down just as Maki laid the bloody towel onto the table.

And then Maki's lips were upon her own, a quick and desperate kiss. Maki tasted of tea and blood, a calm earthy taste layered over top a sharp, metallic tang. Fingers dug into Kirumi's cheeks, and she could _feel_ the crescent moon shaped marks that Maki's nails were leaving in her skin. Maki's lips were chapped, yet dampened, like she'd been running her tongue over them. There was a certain amount of restraint to the kiss as well, with a pressure that Kirumi could feel wanted to be more. But time and location held Maki back, Kirumi could tell that much.

When they pulled away from each other, Kirumi saw the concern in Maki's eyes, concern that she was certain was mirrored in her own. Her hands were on Maki's biceps, and Maki's stayed on her face. The two assassins looked at each other for a few moments, not needing to say anything but wanting to anyway.

Then the door to the kitchen swung open, and a familiar little voice called out. “Miss Tojo?” It said quietly, laced with exhaustion. “I can't sleep...”

“Oh... come here.” Before the child could get all the way into the kitchen, Kirumi released Maki from her grip. The other woman clenched her jaw before sweeping the pistol and bloodied towel into her lap. Kirumi got up and moved to intercept the child, picking them up and placing them upon her hip. “What happened?”

“I had a bad dream...” The child murmured, laying his head on Kirumi's shoulder. His thumb went into his mouth. “There was a monster. It was standing like those men do all the time, but it was staring at me. And it wanted me.”

“Well there are no monsters here.” Kirumi said, running a hand through his hair. At the mention of the men that observed the children, Kirumi stiffened, and she could see Maki react the same. “And if there were, I would protect you from them.”

“...” The child was quiet for a moment before he looked past Kirumi. “...Miss Harukawa?”

“Yeah?” Maki asked, still facing away from the two, though now she was hunched over the bag on the floor. “What is it?”

“...did you just get back?” He asked.

“Uh... yeah.” There was a zipping sound, and Maki finally stood up. “Kirumi, I'm gonna go take a shower, get the kid to bed, alright?” Maki quickly swept up the bag, moving so that her front was obscured by the bag and her injured cheek was facing away from Kirumi and the child. Maki ran a hand over the kid's head as she passed by. “Get some sleep, squirt.”

“Okay...” he murmured quietly, burying his face further in to Kirumi's shoulder. “Miss Tojo... will you read me another story?”

“Sure.” Kirumi said, glancing back at the table. There was no trace of the pistol nor the towel, only the two teabags and teacups. She let out a silent sigh of relief. “But it'll be a short one, then you need to go to bed...”

* * *

Around half an hour later, Kirumi was in her tiny room in the back of the orphanage, laying on top of the covers of her bed. She'd read the child a story, made sure he'd fallen asleep, returned to the kitchen to clean up, and finally gotten herself ready for bed. At the moment, she was staring at the wall, patiently waiting for sleep she knew wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

The door creaked as it slowly opened, though Kirumi didn't call out to the person entering. It was already obvious who it was. There was another creak as the door slid shut, a click as the door was locked, and then the quiet groan of the floorboards as they were traversed. The sounds stopped at the edge of the bed, and Kirumi felt a presence lurking above her. It stayed there for a few moments, not moving.

“...I'm not asleep.” She finally said. Still, the presence took its sweet time before the bed behind Kirumi dipped down, the bed springs squeaking in protest. An arm laid itself over Kirumi's middle, and the room settled back into an unnerving silence. Kirumi rolled over, finding herself staring into a pair of crimson eyes that she could just barely make out in the moonlight.

“...hi.” Maki whispered awkwardly. There was an overpowering smell of shitty lavender coming from Maki's hair, which was currently everywhere.

“Hello.” Kirumi whispered back.

“I missed you.”

“As did I.” After Kirumi's reply, the two settled into silence yet again, doing nothing but holding each other and staring into each other's eyes, surrounded by the scent of artificial lavender and old sheets. Kirumi suddenly cracked a melancholy smile and a quiet chuckle.

“What's so funny?” Maki asked, and Kirumi could see the frown on her face even through the darkness.

“Do you remember when we did this the last time we were normal? Laid in bed, awake long past the time we were supposed to be asleep?” Kirumi asked. “When we were sixteen and they had just picked you for this life?”

“Yeah.” Maki snorted. “And you were crying and begging me not to go. As if I had a choice.” The two unconsciously scooted closer together. “But you were going on and _on_ about how you'd never see me again.”

“I was so afraid of losing you.” Kirumi murmured, closing her eyes. “And then we kissed.”

“Only because you were my only friend.” Maki said. “And you wouldn't stop crying and I had to shut you up somehow before we got found out. Because we weren't supposed to be in the same bed, let alone the same damn room.”

“And you touched me.” Kirumi muttered.

“Because you asked.” Maki reminded her, voice almost imperceptible. Then it grew just a little louder. “Why are you even thinking about this?” Kirumi responded by laying a kiss on Maki's lips, soft and gentle. It was nice, and made Kirumi wish they were sixteen again, where their only worries were being found out because girls their age weren't allowed to share a room anymore, even though Maki had already perfected breaking in and out of Kirumi's room. When they parted, Maki growled. “Already? But you _just_ got back.”

“This one is important.” Kirumi said under her breath. “It's urgent.”

“Don't make excuses for them.” Maki snapped, pulling Kirumi closer. “That's fucking bullshit.”

“We have to listen to them.” Kirumi reminded her. “To help the orphanage remain funded.”

Maki simply growled again, holding Kirumi to her chest. “Why the fuck did you volunteer for this shit? Why couldn't you just let me do this for you?”

“Did you really think I would leave you alone?” Kirumi asked quietly.

“You should have.” Maki told her. Kirumi glared at Maki's chest, but didn't say anything. Maki continued, “Then at least we wouldn't be in this shitty situation together. You would have had a better life.”

“Not without you I wouldn't.” Kirumi whispered, desperation in her voice. Maki's fingers dug into her shoulder blades.

“...when?” Maki asked, having taken a moment to think.

“Day after tomorrow.” Kirumi said. “They want me boarding a plane by sunrise.”

“Out of _country_?” Maki hissed. “I swear to god I'm going to-”

“Maki.” Kirumi cut her off, tone warning.

“...gh.” Maki let out a sound of annoyance. “I just... I just got you back.” She tilted her head so that her face was buried in Kirumi's hair. “...can we at least...?” She started to ask, then trailed off.

“Of course...” Kirumi moved Maki's hand to her waist, letting out a quiet breath. “Just... keep the volume down. You know they don't want us doing this...”

“Fuck them. Nobody wants us doing anything but serving them.” Maki said, moving to adjust her position. She put her free hand to Kirumi's chest, her other hand trailing up to pull Kirumi into a kiss.

* * *

“It's only for a week.” Kirumi said, the spring breeze ruffling her hair. The two stood in front of the local airport. It was still dark out, though Kirumi could see the sun starting to poke out from below the horizon. Her flight was leaving soon.

“'Only a week'.” Maki replied, a mocking tone in her voice, though Kirumi knew Maki wasn't making fun of her. The two stared at each other quietly before Maki wrapped her arms around Kirumi, pulling her into a tight hug. “Come back.” Maki whispered into her ear.

“I will.” Kirumi said before disengaging the hug and reaching down to grab her bag from the ground. “Take care of the children.”

“We'll see.” Maki snapped back. Kirumi smiled softly at her, and Maki glanced back at it before some red rose to her cheeks and she looked away.

“See you soon.” Kirumi said before turning away and walking into the airport, her heels clicking on the concrete. Yes, she would see Maki soon. It was a promise, and she wouldn't break a promise like this. Still, Kirumi had trained herself not to think about Maki while on missions. It was a distraction, and she couldn't afford to get overly distracted. Instead... well, she'd think about how she would go about caring for the orphanage when she returned. Would she be cleaning the rooms, or cooking dinner?...

 


End file.
